There is no tomorrow. For Napoli e Milan the decisive moment has arrived, that is the "second half" of the quarterfinals Champions. It starts from'1-0 first leg, therefore with the purse slightly in favor of the Rossoneri, but the Azzurri can drop two not bad aces on the plate like Osimhen, fully recovered from the injury, and the Maradona stadium, once again full and seething with cheers like in the good old days. In short, the chances of qualifying are substantially equal, which makes the comparison even more interesting and difficult to predict.
Naples – Milan (21pm, Canale 5 and Sky)
Spalletti and Pioli, moreover, have staked a lot of chips on the Champions League, even sacrificing the last days of the championship, albeit involuntarily. But if the blue coach could afford it, in light of the enormous advantage over the pursuers and one Scudetto already in his pocket, the same cannot be said of the Rossoneri, in full Europe struggle together with Rome and Inter. But the quarter-finals of the most prestigious cup, you know, take away a lot of energy, especially in an Italian derby that raises the pressure bar even more, so it's normal for it to become the center of the world, regardless of the rest. The trend of the season would suggest that Milan are playing more, but also Napoli, beyond the joy for the great championship done up to now, have now made their mouths at the idea of going all the way to the Champions League. It is difficult to predict the progress of the match, especially since the previous three seasons have been very different from each other: the first on 18 September saw the Azzurri win at San Siro (1-2), while the other two, decidedly more recent, they were the prerogative of the Rossoneri, first with Maradona's sensational 0-4, then with last week's 1-0. The "beautiful" one, of course, is the most important one, because after tonight there won't be another match to appeal to, just an almanac to update.
Spalletti: "I'll only be happy if we pass, it would be infinite happiness"
"We have to repeat the performance of the first leg, even if in terms of experience we paid something - Spalletti's thought -. But there is always the possibility of overturning any result and I expect the team to be able to do all the things needed, we also prepared for the penalties. I'll be happy only if we can pass the round, there's no risk, just infinite happiness. We want to go ahead and win, so we'll play for it, without making too many calculations and keeping balance, then we'll see where we're at in the end. Standing here to defend what has happened so far means not believing we can do more, but we do believe it is possible. osimhen? It has restored enthusiasm, as well as the rapprochement with our fans, now that we are all together things become easier".
Pioli believes it: "Just defending yourself would be a mistake, whoever takes advantage of the opportunities best will win"
“We have a slight advantage, but we play against a team that has an average of 3 goals at home – le Pioli's words -. It would be a mistake to think only of defending ourselves, we have to play our game: play well, as a team and manage the ball in the best possible way. We play the third match in a few days against Napoli, both teams have been able to put the opponent in difficulty, whoever manages to take advantage of the opportunities will win. We will have to approach the match well, Napoli in Milan started much better than us and it must teach us. It's nice to play matches like this for the environment too, Maradona will charge us too. We have to complete the work of the first leg with a match of the highest level, attention, quality and intensity. Giroud? He's fine, he's overcome the problem he had these days and is in condition to play."
Naples - Milan, the formations: Juan Jesus and Ndombelé in place of Kim and Anguissa, Pioli recovers Giroud
In terms of formations, Milan are certainly better off, which will be able to field all the "star players", moreover rested after the maxi turnover in Bologna, including Giroud, in doubt due to an Achilles tendon problem and instead recovered. Spalletti, for his part, has to replace the disqualified Kim and Anguissa, but he finds Victor Osimhen from the first minute after the "taste" against Verona: a very heavy return, which certainly shifts the balance of the match. The blue 4-3-3 will thus see Meret in goal, Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Juan Jesus and Mario Rui in defense, Ndombelé, Lobotka and Zielinski in midfield, Politano, Osimhen and Kvaratskhelia in attack. 100% starting lineup for Milan, who will field the 4-2-3-1 in the last two matches with Napoli, both victorious: Maignan between the posts, Calabria, Kjaer, Tomori and Theo Hernandez in the back department, Krunic and Tonali in the midfield, Diaz, Bennacer and Leao behind the lone striker Giroud. The referee of the match will be the Polish Marciniak, considered the best in the world: in his curriculum, in addition to the World Cup final between Argentina and France, there are 563 matches, 40 of which in the Champions League. Will it be enough to avoid controversy?
